All That Glitters is Gone
by MorbidMandy
Summary: Sequel to Glitter & Glass, second in The Glitter Trilogy, Magnus is left desperate after Alec's death, trying desperately to find some way to bring him back. Runes, rituals, and danger combine to tell the story of true love transcending death. Malec Slash
1. Chapter 1

**Hello there! Remember me? I have a legitimate reason why this took so long to get out-I had to rewrite it, because I cut certain scenes out of the last few chapters of Glitter and Glass, and they ended up being a lot more important than I thought. SO, as part of my redo of this, I put in a flashback. Ta-da, problem (mostly) solved.**

**The runes I use in this are half made up, half actual runes.**

So, this whole 'getting Alec back' thing was a lot harder than Magnus thought it would be. For one thing, he didn't want to visit the Fair Folk more than once or twice.

So he figured that he should have everything planned out. Which was problem number two. The book was very vague on the ritual to give the Fair Folk magic... And heavens knew no fairy would listen to him if he came with a half-baked idea. He would be laughed out of the Seelie Court-no, he would be lucky if he was only laughed out of there. It was much more likely that he would end up at the bottom of some lake.

First thing was first. Magnus gathered his more arcane tools. If he was going to do this, he was going to do it right. The book called for blood to be passed from warlock to fairy, blood taken by an athame with runes carved into it with the warlocks fire. The runes needed varied, based on the warlocks own power, and whatever else was needed.

As soon as he'd read about taking blood, he knew what he had to use. It was an athame given to him, oddly enough, by a Shadowhunter. The Shadowhunter had found it in a shop of magical artifacts and, after cataloguing the dangerous artifacts, he'd given it to Magnus as payment for saving a few from his family.

It was lovely, absolutely perfect, a long double-edged blade, and the handle made of ivory elephant tusks inlaid with whalebone cords. He'd kept it as an artifact, never intending to use it. But this... for this, it was the only thing he could imagine using.

As for the runes, he would bypass most of the Shadowhunter runes, mainly because they would no doubt end up setting him on fire if he tried to carve them. He would carve in the symbol for Angelic power, as he'd had to do that on several other Shadowhunter-requested pieces. It was hard for him to do-made him itch, and more than once he'd messed it up, but he could do it.

The rest of the runes took place in his mind, a mixture of normal runes and runes only known to the children of Lillith.

Gebo, an X, for a gift given.

Seboln, a half circle bisected by a wavering line, for the strength of a warlock.

Thurisaz, a sideways triangle with an elongated base, for chaos and temptation (he winced at this, knowing that it was needed for transferring magic, but hating it all the same).

Lilien, seven intersecting lines forming a star, representing a child of Lillith.

and finally,

Ihwaz, a strange, almost Z-like mark, for the strength of magic.

By the time he was finished, the athame was glowing with the light of his fire, and tears were sliding down his cheeks. This was twisted, and it made him sick to his stomach instinctively. Every hint of his being struggled against the idea of giving power to another-even if it would not weaken him.

Magnus laid down, allowing his body to sleep into blessed sleep, restoring him for the rest of the rituals needed.

He dreamt of Alec.

**~X~**

Magnus wakes with a start, disappointed that the dream was merely that, a dream, that Alec is not laying beside me in bed, scowling as I 'accidentally' shake the glitter out of my hair and onto him. That he is not trying to stay looking unhappy even as I trace shapes through the glitter on his chest, writing my name on him and beaming up at him.

But he is not there. Magnus isn't even in bed, rather he's sprawled out on the chaise lounge in his office, hugging a pillow to his chest.

Blinking away tears-unneeded, as he _is_ going to get Alec back-Magnus sits up and stretches. The reason for his abrupt awakening is obvious, his phone is going off.

"Ma'nus Bane... whatcha need?" he answers sleepily, running a hand through his hair as he squints at the clock. It's 4 in the afternoon, so he guesses he can't really get mad at whoever called for waking him.

"Magnus? A-Are you okay?" A shaky voice comes across the line, and Magnus frowns at the phone.

"No, but that's kind of a given. Who is this?" Magnus sinks into his chair.

"R-Robert Lightwood." At that Magnus stiffens. Shit, what does someone to say to the father of their (not-dead, not-permanently dead at least) boyfriend?

"Are...are _you_ okay?" he asks at last, inwardly wincing when he notices how his voice has gone soft, careful, as if Robert is a dangerous animal he's afraid will run.

"No, but as you said, that's kind of a given. Jace said that you were at the hospital... you should've come over to us, we..."

Magnus shook his head, before realizing that Robert wouldn't be able to see him over the phone, "No, Robert, I shouldn't have. I couldn't be what you would've needed me to be. I needed to... be alone."

Robert sighs, and Magnus can almost imagine the older man running a hand through his hair. In ways, he supposes, he and Robert are more alike than anyone else. They've both seen things they'd rather forget, both lost countless people they care for, and... and they both feel as if they've failed. For Robert, it is as a father, failing to protect his children. For Magnus, it's as a warlock, as someone who Alec loved. He should've been able to protect him.

"I understand... just, if you need anything, please don't hesitate to come to the Institute? Despite... initial misgivings, you're a part of this family."

A wave of emotion hits Magnus, and he has to take a deep breath before he can speak again.

"...Thank you, Robert. Do not hesitate to-contact me, either, if you or anyone else needs anything." Magnus stumbles for a moment, starting to tell Robert that they can come over, but he thinks better of it. For one thing, he's destroyed quite a bit of his apartment, and for another, he's fairly certain that they would not approve of what he's planning.

After he says goodbye to Robert, he's struck by a memory from only a few days prior...

*_Flashback*_

_Magnus sat by Alec, who is sleeping peacefully. Maryse is sitting near the bed, staring at the far wall. This is what she does every day. Some days she brings paperwork with her, but usually she just stares. Magnus thought of suggesting she knit, but figured that Maryse Lightwood would be more likely to kill someone with knitting needles than to actually knit with them._

_A thought occurred to him then, and he turned slightly to Maryse. Perhaps it was not a good idea, to ask her things like this, but he always liked to toe the line._

"_Maryse, did you ever hear of fairies with magic?" he asked in a voice that he hoped was innocent._

_Apparently not innocent enough, as she turned sharply to him with narrowed eyes, "What do you mean?"_

"_I was just... researching, and I came across it."_

"_Well it's untrue. The Clave would know of any such things. And if there _was_ a way for that to happen, then all parties involved would have to be taken care of immediately. Fairies are the least controllable of all Downworlders, and they're only controlled because they know they lack direct power. If they had power as well... they would be unstoppable."_

_Magnus scowled slightly at the mention of Downworlders being 'controlled', but schooled his expression into one of polite disinterest as he looked at Maryse._

"_Hmm... I suppose you're right. Even if there was a way, The Clave would destroy anyone involved."_

_Maryse raised an eyebrow at me, "Are you implying that you might, theoretically, know anything about this?"_

_I put on my very best bewildered expression, "Why on _earth_ would I want fairies to have magic? I know nothing, just speculation."_

_Maryse seemed to accept my explanation, and turned back to the wall._

_*End Flashback*_

Magnus sighed. He would have to keep the Lightwood's and the rest of the Clave as far removed from this as possible. If they got wind of this, they wouldn't hesitate to kill him. It wouldn't matter his reasoning, or that he just wanted to save Alec... they wanted to control Downworlders, and would not do anything to jeopardize that control.

But he was High Warlock of Brooklyn. Anything he did could be (theoretically) be monitored by the Clave. He was already on their radar, doubly so since he was known to be consorting with a Shadowhunter. Well, not anymore, but...

There was only one thing he could do. And he'd better do it quick, if he wanted to have an easily believable reason for it. He couldn't be noticed. And as High Warlock of Brooklyn, he would always be noticed. So he had to _become_ unnoticable.

He grabbed his cell phone.

He needed to make some calls.

**So, can you guess what his plan is? Personally, I think that most of his plan is obvious, but there's definitely some twists. I'm so excited to write this, but I can't promise fast updates. I'm taking Algebra 2, and considering how much I struggled with Algebra 1, is ridiculous.**

**And now, I am putting out a request. I started writing another story a while back, a oneshot, but eventually I hit a dead end, began questioning everything, and so there's a 9,000+ word, unfinished oneshot sitting on my desktop. I was wondering if there's anyone who might be willing to look it over and tell me what to improve on, what's good, what's bad, etc.**

**SO, please review, and I hope you enjoy this story as much as you enjoyed Glitter and Glass!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm sorry about the length of time. And the length of the chapter. Hopefully there's at least 1 person out there who's still reading? :)****  
**

One thing you must understand about Magnus is that, no matter how he might come off when you first get to know him, he is very, very, well-prepared for any type of confrontation between him and... anyone. Over his 800 or so years, he's collected favors like they were Lancome limited edition nail polish. Favors from werewolves, vampires, fairies, warlocks, witches, and Shadowhunters alike.

Now was the time to cash some of them in.

First was a call to a vampire. First name AJ, second name unknown. He'd been a government agent before he'd gotten changed, and Magnus figured he'd need as much help as he could get with avoiding the wrath of the Clave. AJ agreed to come see Magnus the next day.

Next call was to a Shadowhunter who owed him a lot - like, an insane amount a lot. His children, ranging in age from 14 to 7, had been in Central Park when they'd been attacked by a pack of Ravener demons. Although the three oldest should've been able to handle it (as they'd already been marked for a while), they'd all been easily overpowered. It was only due to Magnus being there and his quick thinking that the Swiftwood family hadn't been entirely wiped out. Not only did the Shadowhunter owe him for saving his children, but also for not shaming the family by letting everyone know about the failings of his oldest's.

He needed a connection with some Shadowhunter clan, as it would be crucial if he needed someone to pretend to be investigating something so he could get in. Luckily, the Swiftwood family was not particularly busy, and their patriarch agreed to meet with Magnus.

Then he dialed a few fairies, all of whom agreed to escort him to the Queen when he was ready. They were surprisingly agreeable - for fairies. The fact that none of them had outright hung up on him was a good sign.

Magnus's final call would be the hardest, but one that he couldn't justify not making. He pressed the familiar numbers, and waited as the phone rang.

"Magnus?" Jace's voice sounded over the phone, hoarse and surprised.

"Jace. I wanted to call and tell you that I will be out of contact for the next few days. If there are any... extreme emergencies where only I can assist, I will be reachable if you text me, but I won't be answering calls."

"Magnus... where are you going? I mean... look, I know that we haven't exactly been... we aren't really... you don't... we aren't... look, if you need anything, you know that we're here for you, right? I mean... Isabelle and Maryse and Robert and Clary and... me. We're all, y'know, mourning."

Jace's voice was so lackluster, so devoid of the normal spark and cockiness it usually held, that Magnus was inspired. Magnus was going to be breaking some major laws, and no one was better at breaking them and getting away with it then Jace. And Magnus had to admit, no one was more invested in protecting his family than Jace.

"Jace, how fast can you get to my apartment?" Magnus asked.

"Um. Twenty minutes? Fifteen? Why?"

"I might need some assistance with something. Can you leave now?"

Jace seemed to sense the rush in Magnus' voice, "Alright, sure. Just let me - uh - okay, I'm on my way."

"Good." Magnus hung up, running a hand through his hair. This was going to be a lot more complicated than he thought it would be, but... it was going to work.

Magnus cued up a few things he would need - a bowl carved from pewter, a slab of petrified wood, several bottles of various semi-legal (or semi-illegal) ingredients.

Sure enough, 14 minutes later, there was a knock at Magnus' door.

Magnus opened the door to a Jace that looked... well, very off. His clothes were rumpled, his hair greasy, and he generally looked... very un-Jace-like. There was an unmistakable aura of depression and just... giving up. It hit Magnus in that moment that, as much as Alec's sickness and... death, had affected him, it had affected tough, always-in-control Jace even more. Having to see his parabatai so weakened and killed by something that he couldn't see, couldn't fight or stab or injure, must've been... devestating.

Magnus loved Alec, more than he'd ever loved anyone in his life. But he'd seen other people he loved die. No one he'd loved as much as Alec, but it had still hurt. He'd watched so many people die, that, in a way, he'd become desensitized to it. He missed Alec horribly, and was sure he could get him back, but Jace had never known someone who had died like that, stricken down with illness and weakened by disease.

Magnus took pity on Jace, reaching forward to pull him inside the apartment. Jace didn't even try to protest, allowing himself to be dragged in.

Magnus thought about it for a moment, and decided to just jump right in, no reason to beat around the bush, "Jace, what would you say if I told you there was a way to bring Alec back."

"I would say how? And how can I help?" Jace looked up, the slightest spark of hope and fight back in his eyes.

"It's illegal - "

"Like I care."

"-and dangerous-"

"Again, like I care"

"-and very, very complicated."

"Well, I won't lie and say I like complicated things, but they're better than nothing."

Magnus explained his plan to Jace, who, sure enough, had several rather interesting ideas. Magnus had to admit, for all of his many, many flaws, Jace Lightwood was very good at plotting. He pointed out several things that might help strengthen the ritual, and most of them Magnus decided to incorporate into his plan.

Jace was also able to help with the carving of runes into the pewter bowl - they needed to be drawn with a blessed blade, which Magnus was unable to wield. In addition to the same runes that were carved on the athame, Magnus had Jace add several other Nephilim runes - they would not only strengthen the power, but with Jace's angel blood helping to carve them, they had a built-in boost of holiness.

After finishing the bowl, Jace helped Magnus set up the bowl with everything he would need. The plan was to mix the main ingredients together, setting up for the transfer of blood and power, but without actually putting his blood in it. That way, no Fair Folk could trick him into handing over the potion without being given Alec in turn.

They began the ritual carefully, trading off certain tasks. There were things that Jace simply could not help Magnus which - such as pouring a vial of demon blood, or decanting venom into several smaller bottles to be added at selected intervals. Jace was more than happy, however, to help where he could. Dripping wax around the bowl, drawing containment runes around it, etc.

By the time they were finished, both were exhausted. The bowl was half-filled with pulsating and moving silvery liquid. Magnus' hands were covered in scars, from splashes of venom that had been spat from the bowl. Jace had been hit as well - in fact, he was now sitting on the floor in the middle of the room, twisting around to draw an iratze on his hip, where he'd accidentally bumped into a bottle of demon venom.

"This is all we can do for today. Tomorrow I meet with a vampire. If this ends poorly - which I cannot see it _not_ - then we will require any help in finding loopholes. I will also be meeting with the head of the Swiftwood family - admittedly the help I require from them is significantly smaller now that I am in the possession of my very own Shadowhunter helper, but they will still be useful."

Jace snorted at the idea of being anyone's Shadowhunter 'helper', but was distracted by his cell.

"Damn." he swore softly, punching a few buttons, "Clary keeps asking where I am. I think eventually she's going to realize that taking a shower _doesn't_ take nine hours."

"Why don't you go see her - well, you may want to _actually_ take a shower first, since you smell like demon blood and burnt wood. You can even use my shower." Magnus waved Jace towards the bathroom, leaving him to his washing as he reentered his bedroom.

It took Magnus two minutes to kick of his boots, use a flash of magic to clear the bed of various debris that he'd piled on it, and collapse upon the comfortable pillows. It took him two seconds before the first tear trailed down his cheek. He had thought himself all cried out - imagined that, after his breakdown, he would be unable to cry any more. It seemed, however, that he had been mistaken.

Alec. Alec. His Alec, the love of his life. Magnus could almost imagine that, if he reached out, he would touch him. He would feel the soft rise and fall of Alec's side, the comfortable warmth that he emitted. Magnus could almost imagine himself curling one arm around Alec, pulling him close... burying his face in Alec's hair, breathing in the comfortable scent. Instead all he had was cold, empty sheets, and the faintest trace of Alec's scent, like the memory of remembering.

Time passed - Magnus wasn't sure how long, simply that his tears had continued as if they would never stop - until Magnus felt a gentle pressure on his back. He turned over, squinting through his tears up at a face lined in gold.

"I miss him, Magnus." Jace said, his voice low and tortured, "I... even when I was dying... never like this, Magnus, I never knew anything could _hurt_ this much."

Magnus didn't think, didn't hesitate as he reached up and pulled Jace down towards him. The two of them clung together, Jace sobbing in his shoulder, hands twisted in Magnus' shirt. Magnus cried too, shuddering, gasping sobs, gripping Jace so tightly. They had each lost Alec - Magnus had lost his lover, Jace had lost his brother. Different types of pain, but neither more powerful than the other.

They drifted off into sleep, still clinging to each other, each taking and giving comfort in equal turns. Both felt more connected to the one they'd lost - Magnus smelled like Alec had the past few months, Jace thought, like the faint scent of hairspray and perfume. And Jace felt like Alec - the same scars, hard muscles, and faint scent of Irish Spring soap.

Together they found rest, they found hope, and they found a strange sort of peace.

**Review, please?**


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